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Join us for our 2nd annual Aerospace Unplugged and seize an amazing opportunity to hear from FOUR highly respected experts in the aerospace industry.

Come learn about current trends, forecasts, aviation information and data covering commercial, defense, business and regional markets and MRO.

Participate in discussions with the panel and take advantage of professional networking opportunities with the panelists, industry stakeholders, your customers and colleagues.

Our 2016 Aerospace Unplugged was highly praized as the most thought-provoking and entertaining aerospace panel of the year.

RICHARD ABOULAFIA

Vice President Analysis, Teal Group

Richard is Vice President of Analysis at Teal Group. He manages consulting projects in the commercial and military aircraft field and analyzes broader defense and aerospace trends. He has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second and third-tier contractors in the US, Europe and Asia. Richard also advises numerous financial institutions on aerospace market conditions.

Richard writes and edits Teal Group's World Military and Civil Aircraft Briefing, a forecasting tool covering over 135 aircraft programs and markets. He also writes publicly about aviation and defense, with regular columns in Aviation Week and Space Technology, AIAA's Aerospace America, and at Forbes.com. His articles have also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Professional Pilot, and other publications.

RON EPSTEIN

Senior Equity Analyst, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch

Ronald J. Epstein joined Merrill Lynch in 2001 as an industry analyst in the Aerospace and Defense sector. He is currently a Managing Director at the firm and is the senior Aerospace and Defense Analyst for the Americas. In 2008 and 2009, he was placed among the top three analysts in the Greenwich Equity Survey. In the 2008 Institutional Investor Survey he was identified as a “Best Up-and-Comer” and in 2009 he ranked third for his coverage of Aerospace and Defense. He placed second in the 2005 Institutional Investor Latin America Research team survey for his coverage of the Latin America Aerospace and Transport sector.

Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Epstein was a research scientist working in the Applied Aerodynamics Technology Group at the Boeing Phantom Works. During that time, he was also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, where he taught courses on Fluid Dynamics and Control Systems. Mr. Epstein completed his MBA degree with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University and a Bachelor's degree with highest honors from Skidmore College.

STEPHEN TAPP

Deputy Chief Economist, Export Development Canada

Stephen Tapp is the Deputy Chief Economist at Export Development Canada. In this role, he helps to oversee EDC’s global economic and export forecast as well as the research program for the Corporate Research Department.

Before joining EDC, Stephen was a Research Director at the Institute for Research on Public Policy, where he managed the International Trade and Global Commerce research program. Stephen entered the federal government through the Recruitment of Policy Leaders program to work as a senior economist and adviser on economic and fiscal issues for Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer. He has also worked: as an economist and forecaster at the Bank of Canada; as a researcher at Finance Canada and the C.D. Howe Institute; and an economics instructor at Queen’s University. His research has been published in academic journals, such as the Canadian Journal of Economics and Canadian Public Policy. Stephen has a Ph.D. and a Master’s in economics from Queen’s University and an Honors degree from Western University. He on the board of the Ottawa Economics Association.

KEVIN MICHAELS

President, Aerodynamic Advisory

Kevin Michaels is President of AeroDynamic Advisory, a consulting firm focused on the global aerospace and aviation industries. Dr. Michaels has 30 years of aviation experience, including hundreds of consulting engagements for leading aviation and aerospace companies across the globe.

Kevin is a globally recognized expert in the aerospace manufacturing and MRO sectors, and also has significant expertise in business-to-business marketing, customer satisfaction, M&A advisory, technology assessment, cluster development, and strategic planning. His experience spans all major market segments, including air transport, business & general aviation, and military. He is a contributing columnist to Aviation Week & Space Technology and serves on the advisory board of the University of Michigan’s Aerospace Engineering Department.

Join the discussion on Twitter by following @the_oac using #AeroUnplugged